Rapid intensification of Hurricane Melissa has made it the second-strongest hurricane in the Atlantic on record.
Melissa went from a Tropical Storm Saturday morning to a Category 4 hurricane less than 18 hours later. It strengthened to a Category 5 early Monday morning.
Wind speeds were estimated at 185 mph with gusts up to 220 mph when Melissa made landfall in Jamaica. The air pressure inside the eye dropped to 892 millibars.
Melissa's 185 mph sustained winds tie for the second-strongest winds in an Atlantic hurricane on record.
The strongest wind speed from an Atlantic hurricane was Hurricane Allen in 1990. Melissa was just 5 mph short of the record, but ties for the second-strongest with Dorian, Wilma, Gilbert, and a Labor Day hurricane in 1935.
Melissa also ties for the third lo

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